The small piece of papyrus above has come bounding into the news, even in small regional newspapers like The Day newspaper. On Sunday September 22, 2012, The Day ran an Associated Press piece from Jay Lindsay under the title, "Harvard not yet publishing finding that Jesus had wife." I call these kinds of headlines and articles titillating. The papyrus contains the incomplete line "Jesus said, my wife......" This fragment could be followed by a host of verbs and objects that in no way complete a sentence or thought that even implies Jesus had a wife. It is provocative and worth studying.
Karen King, an excellent scholar, read a paper at a conference in Rome that included the initial discussion of this new found piece of papyrus. The fragment from an anonymous collector seems to be from the fourth century CE (AD). So far no one has questioned the fragment's authenticity. In no way was King's paper suggesting that this small piece of papyrus proved Jesus was married. In fact it may not even suggest that point at all.
Certainly we all want to learn more about the fragment but there is much to be done before even initial observations beyond King's paper can be presented. It is too bad that it is the "titillating" news that draws attention to itself. We need more substantive discussions central to understanding Jesus message or any important religious figure's words. Some of the other more complex life and death issues across the globe need to be in our purview. Fortunately this story in the media is less likely to provoke battles on the streets.
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